Why Spurs are dark-horse championship contenders this season

The San Antonio Spurs' championship window kicked open Tuesday when the NBA season tipped off. The Spurs might still be one of the youngest teams in the NBA, but the wait for contention has arrived. It starts, of course, with Victor Wembanyama.

The 21-year-old phenom already looked like a future MVP last season, but over the summer, he evolved in the one area most superstars overlook — the mind. Wemby dedicated his offseason to mastering mental strength, the invisible muscle that separates talent from greatness. He spent weeks training with Kevin Garnett, the fiercest competitor of the last 25 years, learning to channel emotion into precision. Then, he went in the opposite direction — 10 days in stillness at a monk monastery in China, where he practiced mindfulness and breathing composure.

It’s a balance few NBA players ever seek, much less find. As the philosopher Marcus Aurelius once wrote, "You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." The adjustment period is over. Here's why the Spurs are a dark-horse championship contender this season.

A stronger, sharper Victor Wembanyama

The contact battles that used to knock Wemby off his line, such as post seals, second jumps in traffic and chest-to-chest finishes, have become routine wins. With that base under him, he can guard fives on one end and initiate like a jumbo wing on the other.

Check the preseason; the footwork is cleaner. It's a Hakeem Olajuwon pump fake, pivot, spin, go. It's fewer wasted dribbles. He’ll turn a baseline 18-footer into a rim attempt with one long stride and a shoulder. The shot diet has improved, too. He lived at the rim in the preseason, knocked down catch-and-shoot threes, and cashed free throws.

San Antonio is leaning into it. More elbow touches and top-of-key initiations. When the double comes, he’s making the early read: skip to the weak-side corner, pocket pass to the short roll, quick swing to keep the advantage or just drive like a freight train. The half-second hitch from his rookie year is gone; catch, decide, live with the right play.

He's also become more vocal on the backline, calling out coverages. You can feel it in how he closes to shooters under control and flips from drop to switch to late trap without losing the chain. Wemby will finish in the top five for MVP. Book it.

The Dylan Harper effect

Then there’s Dylan Harper, the No. 2 pick, who dropped straight into the right ecosystem. He plays downhill with change-of-speed and a grown man’s poise for 19. He can have two feet in the paint whenever he wants. PnR reads are already there with a bag of lobs, pocket passes and weak-side skips.  

Defensively, the activity pops. Full-court pickup after makes. Fights over screens. Hands are live. He talks, points, switches and stays engaged —exactly what you want from the guard piloting your second unit.

Add Harper to the guard room of De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle steadying possessions, and San Antonio suddenly has layers. Adding Luke Kornet as championship-experienced frontcourt depth is a cheat code. 

Spurs are ahead of schedule

Rebuilding teams aren’t supposed to look this composed this fast. But the Spurs aren’t following a normal timeline. Wemby's rapid evolution and Harper’s instant impact give this team a foundation most franchises wait years to develop. Not to mention, they traded for Fox last season for a bag of chips.

There’s still youth to manage, mistakes to learn from and Western Conference giants to measure against. But make no mistake: the Spurs’ window has cracked open.